


Falling Underwater

by orphan_account



Series: Stuck Inside in 2020 Works of Boredom [10]
Category: Tristan Hunt and the Sea Guardians - Ellen Prager
Genre: Cute, Driving, First In The Fandom, Friendship, Future Fic, Gen, Implied Pollution, Leatherback Turtles, Marine life, No romo, Not Beta Read, You're welcome everyone, baby turtles, bi!Julie, implied lesbian relationship, lesbian!sam, not super surprised there, that's a new tag apparently, that's also a new tag, this is a new fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:13:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24031822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Tristan, Sam, and Hugh return as Sharks to Florida Keys, for their final year at the Florida Keys Sea Park with a baby leatherback turtle in tow. We get to have a look at the start of their final year at the camp.This is the first story in this fandom. It can also be found over on FanFiction.Net, under the same username and title you see here. For Delusional_Lunatic_3791, because their story, Who Can't Lie, defiantly got me off my butt and made me finish this one-shot.
Relationships: Julie (THatSG) & Jillian (THatSG), Sam (THatSG) & Julie (THatSG), Sam (THatSG) & Tristan Hunt (THatSG) & Hugh (THatSG)
Series: Stuck Inside in 2020 Works of Boredom [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1684453
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Falling Underwater

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Delusional_Lunatic_3791](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delusional_Lunatic_3791/gifts).



Tristan knew that he wasn't normal. He'd known that even before he'd gone to Sea Camp, learned about the talents he possessed. But getting there, realizing what was really odd about him, was immensely relaxing. And being able to go to camp every year, email and text and call his friends from camp, was the best thing to happen to him since learning about Sea Camp's true secret. He'd finally found a group that actually accepted him, didn't think he was weird - well, they thought he was weird, but they were all weird, so it balanced out in the end, really.

And now he was driving back down for yet another year at Florida Keys Sea Park. His last year as a camper; he'd learn if any of his applications had been accepted.

Sam had taken the keys, since Hugh apparently drove like her grandfather, and Tristan at the wheel had been shot down by the both of them. And then she'd kicked both boys to the backseat, to which they'd happily obliged; Sam was very much a... control freak, when it came to driving anything on land. In the water, it didn't matter. On land though, she would micromanage just about every detail. It was in everyone's best interests to let her take the wheel. Besides, it was her car anyways.

Sam herself cracked her neck both ways, before turning up the radio's slightly. The jeep was old, and beaten up, without a roof, the dark blue paint peeling to reveal the lighter coat that had previously covered it. The ocean wind blew through their hair, tangling Sam's short ponytail, Tristan's bangs fluttering in his eyes, impossible to get out of the way.

"Stop that." Hugh ordered, wincing. Sam twisted in her seat to look back at him, not worried at all about the fact that she wasn't looking. Hugh winced at her apparent carelessness.

"What?"

"You know what. It's not good for you."

"Uh-huh." Sam said, turning back around, and taking one hand off the wheel. Bracing against her chin, she popped each joint on her fingers one by one, grinning back at Hugh and Tristan through the rear view mirror. Tristan wasn't bothered. Hugh, however, closed his eyes, even as Sam switched hands, and started to do the other side. "What? This?"

"Sam, eyes on the road."

"Relax." Sam chided, even as she set both hands back on the wheel once more. The song on the radio ended, and the hosts started to talk again, reading off the weather and starting on the days news, despite it being late in the afternoon. "Who got their licence first?"

"You're older Sam, that doesn't mean anything." Hugh pointed out, opening his eyes once more. He relaxed upon seeing Sam focusing on the road ahead of them, and not on creeping him out. "Besides, who got higher marks."

"That doesn't mean anything." Sam parroted back at him, smirking, eyes flicking up to glance at the two boys through the mirror again. "I'm an academic failure, we all know that."

Tristan scoffed, looking away from the others, and out at the ocean. The waves crashed upon the beach. They were almost there, Tristan knew it. And it wasn't just a feeling, from going to camp for so many years. It was something else. The sense you get when everything lines up right, for even just a few seconds. His knee jerked, heel tapping against the ground in an all-to-quick pattern.

"Tris, you good?"

"What?" Tristan's head came up, and he leaned to the inside of the jeep, getting a better angle to look at Sam. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Cuz you're kind of freaking me out, with the tapping."

"I'm fine."

"Nervous?" Hugh asked, and Tristan shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest, and leaning back in his seat. They hit a pothole, and all lurched into the air, as the radio started to play some country song. Tristan had no idea why a Florida radio would have country music, especially a radio station that served where they were, but he didn't really feel like questioning in. In the back of the jeep, their bags thumped on landing, despite being tied down.

"Excited. Our last year, you know?"

"It's not like we'll never see each other again." Sam pointed out, as a few birds that were circling above them cried out, and they all glanced up briefly. Seagulls. "We have each other's numbers, and it's not like we have any other friends. Unless you guys have been hiding something from me?"

Tristan scoffed, propping one foot up on his seat, and wrapping his arms around it, resting his chin on his kneecap. "Nah. You guys are all I got."

"Same." Hugh agreed readily. "Not like I can really be super open with anyone else, right?'

Sam laughed at that.

* * *

They arrived at the park late in the evening, the fountain of dolphins and eco-friendly constructs familiar and inviting as Sam pulled around to a back entrance, labeled as staff. They count as that in any case; half of the camps courses are educational, and intended to help the campers in the future, to get jobs at marine parks. Sam put the car in park, and pulled out the keys, looping the chain they were on around her neck.

Julia and Jillian were already there, waiting for them as Sam vaulted over the door, foregoing opening it. She grinned at the twins, already stepping forwards for greetings. "Hey! What's up!"

"The moon." Jillian deadpanned, giving Sam a one-armed hug, and turning to Tristan, offering a fist-bump that he took. "You guys sure took your sweet time. Ryder's already here, and he had to drive from Cali."

"Are you calling us slow?" Tristan asked, grinning at the shorter of the two girls. Jillian didn't even try and hide her amusement, nodding enthusiastically. Tristan put a hand over his heart, pretending to stumble. "I'm hurt! Oh, I am very much hurt!"

"Isn't that from a movie?" Julie asked, as Hugh joined the group. Tristan shrugged. The air was warm and smelled of the ocean, and he could hear the waves, along with the nocturnal, land based wildlife that lived around and in the park. "Ry's already passed out in his bunk, you guys took that long."

"We get it, we get it, we're slow." Sam laughed, turning to go get their bags. "C'mon, it'll be faster if you two help."

"What did you even bring that needs us to help you?" Jillian questioned, jogging after Sam, her bare feet making soft noises on the pavement, contrasting to the thumps of Sam's sandals. "No way! What is that?"

"A baby leatherback." Sam replied cheerfully, taking down the back gate of the jeep. "Tristan found him the day before we were set to come down here, he was suffocating. We figured we'd bring him down, get him checked over. He's tiny!"

"No kidding." Jillian agreed, bending over to look at the tank. "Poor thing must be sick, being in the tank for the drive!"

"Yeah." Sam muttered, pulling out her backpack, and slinging it over her back. "Help me with him, would you? We couldn't exactly release him, because he might have swallowed something he shouldn't have. He's been pretty docile though, and we stopped a lot, to check up on him."

"That's why we took so long." Hugh said pointedly, looking at Julie as he picked up his own backpack, passing Tristan's over. Jillian and Sam each took up an end of the tank, and pulled it off of the jeep, trying to keep it steady. The baby leatherback turtle poked their head out of the top, fins swishing in the small waves. "Maybe we should take him out? He doesn't look like he's doing too great."

"We don't have clean hands." Tristan pointed out. Julie snapped her fingers.

"Put the tank down, I'll be right back."

And then she was running off, vanishing into the park, the gate that led into it swinging shut behind her. Sam and Jillian slowly lowered the tank to the pavement, and the latter sat down cross legged, eyes tracking the animal as it swum back and forth, looking around. The lights that lit up the parking lot probably weren't helping things, or at least helping the turtles sense of direction.

A few minutes later, Julie reappeared, holding a clear plastic bottle filled with liquid. She handed it to Jillian, and held out her bare hands, her two bracelets the only jewelry on her. One, a knotted string that had small shells tied onto it, and the other a medical bracelet, for her asthma. "I'll carry him to the rehab center, we can check him there."

"Good idea." Jillian agreed, spraying her older sisters palms, wrists, and the back of her hands. Satisfied, Julie crouched before the tank, and reached out. Her brow furrowed, and she reached out with her mind alongside her hands.

_Hey there._

A small squeak filtered through her mind, and she smiled at the turtle's antics, as the little creature ducked under the water, diving to the bottom of the tank, and staring to swim in circles. _You're not him! You're not the boy!_

 _I'm not._ She agreed. _I'm a girl. But I'm here to help. I'm going to take you to somewhere with lots of water. It's safe there._

Hugh stepped forwards, and she sensed him speaking to the animal as well, even though she couldn't hear him speak. After a moment, the turtle surfaced, and paddled over to Julie's hands, floating above them. Carefully, Julie picked the creature up, cradling him in her palms. _Okay, we're going to get moving then, okay? You good with that?_

_Water?_

Julie held back a laugh. _Yes, water. Lots of water. Just for you._

 _Water!_ The turtle cheered, bobbing his head as she started to walk away, holding him close to her chest, worried about bumping into something and dropping him. Her hands dripped onto her tank top, and a trail of water droplets followed her, but she wasn't bothered, bumping open the gate with her hip. She tried to sort of glide, keep her hands even, even as she hurried towards the rehab center.

The park was empty at night, most of the animals asleep, unless they were nocturnal, and hunting. Julie bumped the rehab center's back door open with her hip, keeping it open with a foot, and let it fall shut behind her. The center was darker at night, and she moved through it easily, towards one of the tanks she knew was empty, and safe for the turtle.

 _Alright, here you go._ She said, kneeling by the pool, and lowering the turtle down to the surface of the water. _Water, just for you!_

 _Water!_ The turtle cheered, splashing his way in. He started to paddle through the liquid, exploring his new home. Julie sat back, watching him move, her night vision excellent. The turtle speed through the water as best he could, doing a few laps, before coming back around to her. _Food?_

She laughed, and stood up. _Alright, but we have to do a few tests first, okay?_

_Food?_

_Soon, I promise._

* * *

"Get up!"

"Jesus Christ!" Sam shrieked, flailing, her quilt tangled around her arms and legs. She thrashed, trying to free herself, mind confused by sleep and the sudden shout, and fell out of her bunk, landing on the ground with a solid thump sound. "Ow."

Sam looked up to see Jillian smacking Ryder, the perpetrator of the wake-up call, with her pillow. He was laughing, even as she swore at him in Spanish, her chosen elective. Julie was sitting up on the top bunk, looking dazed and confused, and Sam unwound herself from her blanket, tossing it back on the bed. Jillian let out a final curse, and grabbed Ryder's wrist. A yellow light flickered around where they'd touched, and Ryder yelped, throwing himself away from her.

"That was uncalled for!" he shouted, and Julie let out a moan, letting her forehead rest on the side of her bunk.

"So was _yelling in my ear_!" Jillian replied, throwing her pillow back onto her bunk, and lunging at Ryder, hands sparking slightly with her electric charge. Ryder cried out, and made a quick escape, into the hallway of the small bungalow, but Jillian followed him. Sam let out a sigh as the two of them started to yell at each other, and knelt down on the floor, reaching under her bunk for her backpack. She pulled it out, and sorted through the clothes as Julie made another moaning noise.

Neither of the twins were morning people. Sam stood up, and started towards the girls bathroom. "I get first dibs!"

"Wha - Sam, no fair!" Julie whined, and Sam cackled, before shutting and locking the door behind her. She could still hear the medic through the door though. "Ugh, today sucks!"

Sam started to change her clothes, going through her brief morning routine. "We have to check on the turtle! And deal with the newbies, I wouldn't call that a day that sucks!"

"Whatever Sam. Hurry up, I get second dibs."

"Nu-uh, I don't decree that, take it up with Jill."

"Sa- _am_!"

* * *

"Oh yes!" Doc Jordan beamed at the eldest campers. "The baby leatherback? He's doing quite well I think. Doesn't look like anythings wrong with him, just a bit underweight. We'll keep an eye on him for a day or two, then release him. Probably got turned around by all the light pollution when he hated, poor thing."

"Awesome." Julie said happily, continuing to munch on her bacon. "Well, not the light pollution and underweight thing. But it's good that he's healthy!"

"Indeed it is." Doc Jordan agreed. "Good call carrying him, that small tank couldn't have been very comfortable, especially in that damn jeep. It's got no suspension, you know that?"

"Yeah, yeah." Sam rolled her eyes. "I need a new car, so everyone keeps telling me. And it wasn't like we had a lot of options to take him, considering the funding problem."

Doc Jordan clicked her tongue, hands folded before her. "That's not something you're supposed to know about." she chided, and Ryder shrugged. His hair was standing up like he'd put his finger in an electric socket, which wasn't too far off. Jillian's bio-shocks packed quite the punch, considering how powerful a human's bio-shocks usually were.

"Since when have we known what we were supposed to know?"

"I suppose that's true. Julie, if you wouldn't mind, could you come help me out? One of the dolphins needs some blood work, and they're quite terrified of the needle."

"Sure." Julie smirked at her fellow Sharks. "Beats standing around, waiting for the Seasquirts."

"Shut up." Sam grumbled, throwing a piece of bacon at the younger twin, who caught it in her mouth. "Ugh, screw you!"

"Didn't I already?"

Hugh choked on his porridge. Ryder snorted, shoulder's shaking with laughter. Jillian let her head drop onto the wooden table with a thump that made the dishes clatter. Tristan purposefully looked away, and Sam grinned at the younger woman.

"And on that note," Doc Jordan said, standing up, with a somewhat suppressed smile. "I'll see you all later."

She walked away, stopping briefly to speak with Flash, before she left the Café, stepping into the morning light. Jillian lifted her head, and narrowed her eyes at her sister. "You just had to bring that up, didn't you?"

Julie shrugged, a cheeky smirk playing on her lips, even as she finished off the last of her breakfast. "The opportunity was there, and I simply took it, dear sister. Now, I'm going to go after Doc, have fun getting sunburns!"

"I hate you." Ryder decided, after the brunette had vanished, running after Doc Jordan. He looked up at Sam. "You ruined girls for me. And boys. Thank you for that."

"You didn't have to swim in." Sam pointed out, with an expression similar to Julie's. Hugh stood up, taking his bowl away, towards the kitchen. "It's your own fault the two of you ended up there."

"I did not need to see my older sister making out with my best friend." Jillian grumbled, crossing her arms and looking away. "You've ruined relationships for me as well, how does that feel?"

"Great, actually."

* * *

"Hey, I'm Hugh. I'll be your guide today." Hugh greeted, holding his hand out to the man before him. They hesitated, then took it, giving a firm shake. Hugh turned his attention to the younger boy, who was carrying a heavy-looking backpack, a book held tightly to his chest. Hugh grinned. "Let me guess. You're Thomas?"

The kid nodded, and Hugh nodded back. "Great! Welcome to Sea Camp. Promise, you won't drown."

The kids eyes widened, and Hugh grinned at him. "Nobody's died here for a long time. If ever. Although Ryder's come pretty close. Then again, he pulls a lot of stupid stunts, so it's more of a miracle that he's alive, if I'm being honest."

The kids shoulders relaxed, realizing that Hugh was joking around, and his arms unfolded. Hugh looked back up at Thomas' father. "If you'll follow me, we can get started on that tour."

* * *

"Last year." Rosina murmured, as Tristan and Julie sat down at the Shark's table, the Conch Café filled with campers, from the short and rather confused Seasquirts, to the confident Squids, who were veterans, yet still had a few years left at the camp. Doc Jordan, along with Flash, Director Davis, and all the other staff members were gathered at the front of the room, speaking with each other. "Then this is all over."

"We might be hired on." Julie reminded her, and Rosina scoffed. "What? It's true."

"I have to go back to help out my dad." she replied sarcastically, crossing her arms on the table. "Work up there, can't stay here."

Julie crossed her arms right back at Rosina. "Just because you're grumpy doesn't mean you can be rude."

Rosina just scoffed again and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Have you even gotten any offers from anyone?"

"Doc Jordan said she might take me." Julie informed the bigger girl. "Have you gotten any offers?"

Rosina opened her mouth to reply, but instead, fell silent, as Director Davis clapped his hands, getting everyone's attention. She tilted her head towards the front of the room, and they all followed her gaze towards the staff, and Davis, who was already speaking, doing his usual speech. They all groaned at his horrible opening joke, and he chuckled at them, continuing on like always, despite the boos that came from the Dolphin's table, waving them off.

"To our new campers; welcome! And to our returning campers; welcome back! Welcome to Florida Key's Sea Park!"

The Sharks let the Director speak, setting a somewhat good example for the younger campers, even as Sam licked her fingers one by one and stuck them in Jillian's pink water when the girl wasn't looking, snickering quietly to herself. Jillian noticed, and discretely shocked Sam, who bit back a yelp of surprise. As their director urged them all to take up their Sea Camp water, the Sharks looked to the Seasquirts table, where they'd once sat. The young teens were scrambling to fill their glasses, and hold them up like everyone else.

"To a good year!"

"To a good year!" the campers echoed, and the Shark's clanged their glasses together, the liquid sloshing over the sides. Hugh gasped, his free hand covering his mouth as the pink water splashed onto the table, hiding his laughter as everyone began to talk. The Sharks all looked at each other, and then burst into laughter, which went unnoticed by the other campers, who were busy speaking to each other, or trying to figure out what had just happened, in the Seasquirts case.

"Everything good must come to an end." Tristan said solemnly, and Rosina stared at him for a minute.

"Was that Star Wars?"

Julie choked on her water, spitting it out, and down her shirt. "Oh my stars, Rosina! Do you know anything about modern media?"

In response, Rosina leaned over the table, and put a hand on Julie's shoulder, patting her, expression serious. "No, nothing at all."

"Ew!" Julie gasped, as mucus trailed from Rosina's fingers, onto her shirt. "Rosina, that's disgusting!"

"Yeah!" Ryder agreed, and then leaned away when Rosina turned towards him. "Get your hands away from me, you menace!"


End file.
